Russia sent three Iranian communications satellites into orbit on Sunday, Iranian state television reported, in the second such launch since July. The report said a Russian rocket lifted off from the Vostochny launchpad in eastern Russia and put the satellites into a 500-kilometer (310-mile) orbit around Earth.
The satellites were dubbed Paya, Kowsar and Zafar-2, according to Iranian state television. The report said Paya is the heaviest satellite that Iran has ever deployed into orbit, weighing 150 kilograms (330 pounds). It said Kowsar weighs 35 kilograms (77 pounds), while it did not specify Zafar-2’s weight.
Iranian state television said the satellites can provide up to 3-meter resolution images, and that the imagery is applicable to the management of water resources, agriculture and the environment. The report also said their life span is up to five years.
Russia occasionally sends Iran’s satellites into orbit, a pattern described as reflecting strong ties between the two countries. Iranian state television said the Sunday launch followed a July mission in which a Russian rocket sent the Iranian communications satellite Nahid-2 into orbit.
The launch comes as Russia and Iran maintain close cooperation even amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East. The AP report said Russia signed a “strategic partnership” treaty with Iran in January.
The AP report also said Russia strongly condemned Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran during a 12-day air war in June, which it said killed nearly 1,100 Iranians, including military commanders and nuclear scientists. It said retaliatory missile barrages by Iran killed 28 people in Israel.
Separately, the AP report said Iran has, from time to time, launched satellite carriers to send its satellites into space. The report also said the United States has argued that Iran’s satellite launches defy a U.N. Security Council resolution and has called on Tehran to undertake no activity involving ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, noting that related U.N. sanctions expired in 2023.
For readers, the Iranian satellite launch adds to a continuing public debate over how space activities intersect with restrictions tied to Iran’s ballistic missile program.